No relation between afferent facilitation induced by digital nerve stimulation and the latency of cutaneomuscular reflexes and somatosensory evoked magnetic fields.

Primary motor cortex (M1) excitability can be assessed using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and can be modulated by a conditioning electrical stimulus delivered to a peripheral nerve prior to TMS. This is known as afferent facilitation (AF). The aim of this study was to determine whether AF can be induced by digital nerve stimulation and to evaluate the relation between the interstimulus interval (ISI) required for AF and the latency of the E2 component of the cutaneomuscular reflex (CMR) and the prominent somatosensory evoked field (SEF) deflection that occurs approximately 70 ms after digital nerve stimulation (P60m).

Sensorimotor modulation differs with load type during constant finger force or position.

During submaximal isometric contraction, there are two different load types: production of a constant force against a rigid restraint (force task), and maintenance of position against a constant load (position task). Previous studies reported that the time to task failure during a fatigue task was twice as long in the force task compared with the position task. Sensory feedback processing may contribute to these differences.

Dual-hemisphere transcranial direct current stimulation improves performance in a tactile spatial discrimination task.

Objective: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that dual-hemisphere transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) could improve performance in a tactile spatial discriminative task, compared with uni-hemisphere or sham tDCS.

Methods: Nine healthy adults participated in this double-blind, sham-controlled, and cross-over design study. The performance in a grating orientation task (GOT) in the right index finger was evaluated before, during, immediately after and 30min after the dual-hemisphere, uni-hemisphere (1mA, 20min), or sham tDCS (1mA, 30s) over S1.

Combined effect of motor imagery and peripheral nerve electrical stimulation on the motor cortex.

Although motor imagery enhances the excitability of the corticospinal tract, there are no peripheral afferent inputs during motor imagery. In contrast, peripheral nerve electrical stimulation (ES) can induce peripheral afferent inputs; thus, a combination of motor imagery and ES may enhance the excitability of the corticospinal tract compared with motor imagery alone. Moreover, the level of stimulation intensity may also be related to the modulation of the excitability of the corticospinal tract during motor imagery.

A comparison of the movement characteristics between the kneeling gait and the normal gait in healthy adults.

Background: Trainings of the kneeling position, such as standing exercise on the knees and kneeling gait, have been anecdotally used in physical therapy to improve postural control of patients with various pathological conditions. However, clinical evidence is lacking and the movement characteristics of these kneeling trainings have not been well explored. The purpose of this study is to clarify the movement characteristics of the kneeling gait compared with the normal gait.

[Musculoskeletal rehabilitation and bone. Prevention of fall-related fractures in elderly].

Fall-related fracture in elderly is one of the big issues in our aging society. A major cause of fractures in elderly is fall. Therefore, the prevention of falls is essential for the prevention of fractures in elderly.

[Muscle and bone health as a risk factor of fall among the elderly. Sarcopenia and falls in older people].

Sarcopenia means the loss of muscle mass and strength with aging. Although there are multiple factors which would influence the severity of this condition, the loss of motor units with aging would be play an important role in the production of sarcopenia. The decrease in muscle strength has been considered a major factor contributing to the loss of physical function and to the falls in older people.